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anāsavaṁ

anāsava

accusative singular masculine of anāsava, adjective

1. free from corruptions (āsava)
2. untainted
3. purified

Built from

• a- — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation. Cognates: English un-, Greek a(n)-. Here it negates the whole compound.
• ā — prefix · inward, toward
  Reverses motion verbs; here part of āsava. Cognate: Sanskrit ā.
• sava — stem · inflow, corruption
  From √su "flow"; the taints are mental effluents that flow into and pollute the mind. The -va suffix forms nominals from verbal roots.
• -ṁ — ending · accusative singular
  Marks the object of a transitive verb or the complement of certain other constructions; here identifying the state achieved or condition rejected.

Analysis. a- (not, without) + āsava (corruptions, taints); the corruptions (āsava) are mental poisons—lust, hatred, delusion, views—that flow (√su "to flow") into the mind; negating them yields the state of non-corruption sought in liberation.

Etymology. ā- (toward the speaker, inward) + √su (flow; cognate English "seethe", Latin "sudo" sweat); āsava literally "inflow"; the prefix a- negates, yielding "non-flowing", hence free from corruptions. Used throughout the canon for the arahant's achievement: anāsava citta "the uncorrupted mind".

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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